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Author Topic: am on the lookout for zx spectrums  (Read 10220 times)

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Offline Vincent

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #44 from previous page: January 19, 2007, 02:38:08 AM »
Quote

InTheSand wrote:
Sorry to be picky, but this was on the 128, +2 and +3 - the original + didn't have it as this was basically a standard 48K machine in a new case but with the same old ROM.

Whoops, my mistake.  I should've realised that.  There's no point in having a menu on the 48k+ with "48k mode" and "tape loader".  To be picky myself - didn't the +3 just have "loader" as it had the floppy instead?
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I don\'t think I have the stomach for it." - Raziel
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #45 on: January 20, 2007, 12:11:44 AM »
Quote
Vincent wrote:
To be picky myself - didn't the +3 just have "loader" as it had the floppy instead?


Yep, you're right! The +3 and +2A/2B both just have "Loader"...

 - Ali
 

Offline Vincent

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #46 on: January 20, 2007, 03:56:25 PM »
Quote

InTheSand wrote:
Quote
Vincent wrote:
To be picky myself - didn't the +3 just have "loader" as it had the floppy instead?


Yep, you're right! The +3 and +2A/2B both just have "Loader"...

What I meant was the +2a/b has "Tape Loader", but as the +3 has a floppy drive does that have "Disk Loader" or just "Loader"?

Other than that, the menus are identical.
Xbox360
"Oh no. Everytime you turn up something monumental and terrible happens.
I don\'t think I have the stomach for it." - Raziel
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #47 on: January 21, 2007, 01:21:14 AM »
Hi,

The original Sinclair 128 and Amstrad +2 have "Tape Loader", whereas the +3, +2A and +2B (which are based on the same revised Amstrad +3 ROM) all just have "Loader".

And, of course, the original 128 has an additional "Tape Tester" option!

Ah, the joys of cassette-based loading!!!

 - Ali
 

Offline Vincent

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #48 on: January 24, 2007, 10:45:38 PM »
Ever so slightly off topic...

If you're still nostalgic about Spectrum games, I'd strongly suggest you pick up a copy of The ZX Spectrum Book - 1982 to 199x.

A 256 page book featuring information on 230 Speccy games.  Including a single page of information about each year in general.  It's the size of a 48k and about the same weight aswell.

There's a pdf sample on the page itself for an idea of what it's like.

Oh yeah, the foreword to the book was done by Sir Clive himself!

I've got the book myself and it's just brilliant.  If you can afford the £17.99 + P&P it's well worth it.

Oh, and it was all done by one person, with the exception of getting it printed - that was done professionally.

Only 1000 copies were printed.

Anyways, enough of that advert now...
Xbox360
"Oh no. Everytime you turn up something monumental and terrible happens.
I don\'t think I have the stomach for it." - Raziel
 

Offline therailTopic starter

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #49 on: January 25, 2007, 12:50:23 AM »
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Vincent wrote:
Apparently Sir Clive was on Celebrity Poker on ftn tonight.


yeah you're right. i just managed to catch the end of it. they interviewed the smug little git at the end (it looked as tho he had a good poker night).
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #50 on: January 25, 2007, 07:28:58 PM »
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Vincent wrote:
If you're still nostalgic about Spectrum games, I'd strongly suggest you pick up a copy of The ZX Spectrum Book - 1982 to 199x.


Ooh! Thanks for the info! I'd have missed that otherwise!

Colour clash rules!!!  :-)

 - Ali
 

Offline gertsy

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #51 on: January 26, 2007, 05:32:11 AM »
I got my original 1983 Rubberkey 48K Spectrum.
I'd offer it to you but it doesnt work, but Ive got it to look at.
That makes me happy.  
Elite on a 48K Spectrum was the bees knees.  Now it just looks silly.
And the sound. :lol:
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #52 on: January 26, 2007, 08:26:22 PM »
Get it fixed!!!

What doesn't work on it? Does it start up with randomly coloured/flashing squares all over the screen? Or no picture at all?

Actually, monochrome vector graphic games were one area that the Spectrum beat the C64  :-o  - faster CPU helped, though the Speccy's "interesting" screen layout negated that a bit!

 - Ali
 

Offline Karlos

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #53 on: January 26, 2007, 08:49:52 PM »
I'd bet it'll be an overheating/dodgy ULA. The Ferranti ones were especially prone to this, I have at least 3 suspect ones and one "functions with a small heatsink attached" that's in my current working spectrum.

The memory chips can suffer problems with age in some models too, leading to all kinds of random chicanery.
int p; // A
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #54 on: January 27, 2007, 12:00:09 AM »
I guess I really ought to check out my Speccies at some point... Haven't powered up a real Spectrum for ages, so I wonder how many of mine still work?!

I guess the +2A/+2B/+3s are the most reliable as IIRC they've got far less components than the earlier designs (especially the old 48Ks with their 30000000 resistors and other discrete components!)

 - Ali
 

Offline therailTopic starter

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #55 on: January 27, 2007, 01:36:51 AM »
good news chaps. i should get my spectrum back next week. apparetnly the keyboard membrane i got (off ebay) is not actually suited to the spectrum i got, even tho it was advertised as a + or 128 compatible. so i got a guy who was in the know to sort it out for me and do some modifictions to the membrane and the (broken) keyboard brackets that tighten the membrane in place. hopefully next week i'll take some pics of it with the games i have. can't wait to play lemmings - isn't this one of the rarest games for the speccy? i am also looking out for street fighter 2- had this when i was a kid, despite the long loading times, i was actually impressed. cant wait to play manic miner and jetpac too! lovely jubbly! :)
 

Offline Vincent

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #56 on: January 27, 2007, 01:44:33 PM »
I hope the speccy works fine with the modified membrane.  And I hope you get the volume just right when loading the tapes ;-)

I doubt Lemmings was rare on the Speccy.  It was out when there was still a lot of publicity about it on the other formats.

The fact that it was faithfull to the 16 bit versions just with crappier sound and graphics was a major selling point and all the magazines went overboard with getting the message out to the public that it was a great game.

My games (Speccy and everything else).
Xbox360
"Oh no. Everytime you turn up something monumental and terrible happens.
I don\'t think I have the stomach for it." - Raziel
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #57 on: January 27, 2007, 10:23:33 PM »
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Vincent wrote:
The fact that it was faithfull to the 16 bit versions just with crappier sound and graphics...


I'd guess the sound was probably the same as the Atari ST, given they both used the same soundchip! Not actually played the Speccy version of Lemmings but some lovely screenshots are here!

 - Ali
 

Offline therailTopic starter

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #58 on: January 28, 2007, 01:24:21 PM »
Quote

InTheSand wrote:
Quote
Vincent wrote:
The fact that it was faithfull to the 16 bit versions just with crappier sound and graphics...


I'd guess the sound was probably the same as the Atari ST, given they both used the same soundchip! Not actually played the Speccy version of Lemmings but some lovely screenshots are here!

 - Ali


surprisingly no it isn't as good as the ST version. the spec hadf only one soundtrack, but the st had many (and pretty good). remember, the ST had more memory to play around with! ;)
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #59 on: January 30, 2007, 02:05:14 AM »
That's true!! 128Kb in bank-switched chunks via a 3.5MHz 8-bit CPU vs 512Kb flat via an 8MHz 16-bit CPU meant that the cheap and nasty sound chip could at least be tortured a bit more on the ST to get something approaching reasonable! :-)

Going even further off topic: I have a (very battered) March 1986 issue of Byte magazine, where the 1040ST was reviewed, and there's an interview with Atari's R&D president at the time (Shiraz Shivji). From the text...

Quote
We had a project here ... a chip called Amy. And the ST was designed to have the Amy. But the Amy did not happen... Amy was a chip that had 16 bits of information coming out. So you could have 96dB of range. What you could hear! Amy was a complete digital sound chip... We were going to have the Amy, and then it didn't happen... That's how the MIDI came in... So the Yamaha chip is in there just to give it the basic sound? Yes. Just the basic sounds you need.


So basically, Atari's soundchip design didn't work so it stuffed in an AY-3-8910 clone (Yamaha YM2149) and the MIDI ports to cover for it.

Oh well! The rest is history!

 - Ali

P.S. That same issue has a full colour full page ad from Commodore for the Amiga 1000, as well as several for the extremely dull monochrome-screened CP/M machines and IBM PC compatibles of the time...